Of Bees and Beetles
by VioletsforOphelia
Summary: Aburame Shino's life finds a change of pace upon encountering a new honey vendor from Iwa. Two worlds at odds with each other collide, but will the bitter impact reach a sweet conclusion? Can affection blossom into something more, even with a hate-filled clan rivalry standing in the way? (Shino x OC, Romeo and Juliet-style) Set in Boruto timeline.
1. According to Plan

**Author's notes: **Hello all! Welcome (back) to my re-worked story for Of Bees and Beetles! Sorry it's taken so long, but college life became busier than I originally anticipated! As mentioned earlier, a bigger aspect of my story from before is the pacing of the romance. Looking back, I realized things were a bit too dramatic and I wanted to try adding more depth to my characters.

Thank you for taking the time to check this out, you're all wonderful! Anyway, onto the story!

* * *

**Chapter 1: According to Plan**

"For the last time, Kiba," the man sighed, "I am _not _going on another blind date."

Said man-Shino Aburame-was a well respected Shinobi. Born to one of the four noble clans of Konohagakure, he had overcome battles taxing enough to break normal men. With the War over and peace achieved throughout the five great Shinobi nations, the majority of his time is now spent guiding the next generation of ninja-a task physically, psychologically, and emotionally draining. But _this_-

_This _was too much.

"C'mon, man! I know this one will be good! She's real nice! Her sister works with Tamaki, says she's really pretty and smart!"

The Aburame's lips were sealed in a tight frown as he sent a glare the ninken user's way. Hopefully it would convey the message across that "_no, I don't want to go on another date which I know will end badly_ _no matter how pleasant you make it sound_."

"Do you remember the _last _nice date you tried to set up, Kiba?"

Shino sighed as a guilty expression crossed the Inuzuka's face.

The other man pouted, raising his palms up in surrender. "Ok," he admitted, "You got me there. But how was _I _supposed to know Shiratori-san didn't like bugs?"

"Perhaps mentioning my _full _name was in your best interest? It's a well-known fact even outside of Konoha that the Aburame are famed-insect users," Shino chided matter-of-factly, wanting to bring his attention back to his papers for grading.

Shino fought the urge to simply make Kiba leave him alone. Most of the time, his abilities as an Aburame scared off his dates. _That _would usually leave him feeling a mix of awkward and bereft, with the the occasional pang of irritation that others' couldn't accept the fact that his insects were just as much a part of him as his own organs.

Another part of him wanted to reject the Inuzuka's request simply because with every failed date and terrified face, Shino always-_always-_felt disappointment.

"Well, sorry for trying to help, Mr. Know-it-all," Kiba continued, "But I just want to see you try and engage with another person! You are literally the definition of a workaholic."

"I engage with others, occasionally..."

The Inuzuka raised a brow and crossed his arms. "Oh, yeah? Name _one _person you've fully interacted with this week that wasn't me, a coworker, or a student."

Shino paused for a dreadfully long moment. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he thought about a satisfactory answer.

"... Hinata."

"Hinata doesn't count either. See! There we have it. Look Shino: if we narrowed it down, you're a young bachelor with a steady income and a good reputation."

"I'm 33, that hardly counts as young-"

"-Plus you're also like the head of a respected _noble _clan, which means you've gotta have some extra cash lying around. Chicks eat that stuff up, man! And who cares if you have bugs inside of you? Don't most people?"

"My father is still the head of our clan, and I think you may be confusing insects for bacteria. I also wasn't aware we were generalizing women, on that note."

Kiba gave his rather socially inept friend a hard flick on the forehead. "Oh, don't get all snippety with me! You're still basically like a _prince_ or something."

"I'm not being snippety," the Aburame huffed as he rubbed his forehead, "I'm simply being logical. I have no time to date with my life being so busy. Why? Because eight-years-olds can be quite a lot to deal with, especially a classroom full of them."

The Inuzuka gave his friend a loud raspberry. "_Thppbt_,Sure, blame the kids! That's what they all do! You're just afraid of intimacy."

"I am _not_. Do you even know what that word means, Kiba?"

"Don't try and change the subject, Shino," he frowned, "Look, I get that work is stressful man, I really do. Hell, I get grey hairs just _sitting _at the Police Department. But you know who makes my day just a little bit better when I come home from work tired and cranky?"

Shino sighed, already sure of where this was going. "... Tamaki?"

"Actually I was gonna say _Akamaru_, but she's a close second," he laughed, "Joking aside, Tamaki _does _make me happy and less stressed. Extremely happy. I wanted to tell you later, but I didn't just come here to convince you to go on that blind date, pal. I also wanted to tell you that… that I'm planning on asking her to marry me."

The Aburame's eyebrows rose in surprise. Kiba looked away, a pink tinge blooming on his cheeks.

"Congratulations, Kiba," Shino replied. He smiled, genuinely happy for his friend. Him and Tamaki were good for each other despite their opposite adoration for pets. If you asked Shino, tt was about time the Inuzuka finally ask the question.

Kiba's blush only darkened as he rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, man. I didn't just tell you that for your congratulations, though. Don't laugh at me for getting cheesy, ok? I just… look, as much as I love you, Shino, my life's gonna get pretty hectic if I _do _end up getting married, y'know? Look at Hinata! We might not be able to hang out as much anymore, especially if we decide to have kids."

The Aburame swallowed discreetly and lowered his eyes. He _should _be happy for the Inuzuka, but he was never the best at handling change. Kiba getting married would certainly change many aspects of his social life.

"You're my best friend; I _know _how you are," Kiba continued, "You'll just dive yourself into even more work if I'm not around to make sure you interact with more than just coworkers. I just want you to find someone that makes you truly happy. Someone you can share all those tough times at work with and laugh with. I can't promise I'll always be there to do that in the future…"

The Aburame stared long and hard at his friend. Kiba was actually being serious. It was quite a shock to see compared to his usual goofy and hard-headed demeanor.

Somewhere deep inside of him, he knew Kiba was right. All of his other friends were busy and married with their own children. Kiba was one of his only outlets for social interaction outside of work. And if he got married…

After a long moment of silence, Shino asked quietly, "When and where do I meet this woman?"

Kiba grinned widely and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Aw, thanks pal, I _knew _you'd come around! And who knows, maybe you'll meet _the one_ tonight, eh?"

When Shino's only reply was to start packing up his papers, the Inuzuka took that as his queue to keep going.

"Well, she wanted a more casual and personal date, so you're meeting the _lovely _lady at Ichiraku's. She'll be holding a hydrangea flower, whatever that is," he explained, "Just look for a pretty woman with a flower! 7 pm-don't be late! Apparently she likes punctuality."

"You haven't even said _once_ what her name is."

Kiba inhaled through his teeth and rubbed the back of his head, "I'm uh…"

"You don't know her name, do you?"

"Look, Tamaki was the one that told me the time and place! She was super excited when I left to go tell you. Tamaki wants you to find someone nice too, Shino. We're _all _rooting for you here. Wherever that dream girl of yours is, we'll find her."

The bug Shinobi glanced at the clock. He was doing this more so for Kiba and Tamaki than for his own interests. In Shino's humble opinion, he thought these random blind dates were a waste of precious time that could be used to plan for tomorrow's lesson.

All he really wanted out of his evening was to enjoy a nice cup of hot tea and grade some papers with the pleasant buzzing of summer cicadas in the background. But Kiba always put quite a lot of effort into planning these meetups, so he would do this for his friend. His friend who would be getting _married_.

Shino finally decided that if this one turned out badly as well, he'd politely ask that Kiba take a break from setting these up. An _extended _break.

"I'll be there, Kiba."

"Thanks, Shino. And I _know _it's not really your forte, but please try and _talk _with this girl," the Inuzuka replied with a wink and toothy grin.

Shino said nothing as he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the door, Kiba following behind him. He glanced at the hallway clock. It was still early. Maybe he'd try and take a nap and get some grading in before the date?

"I'll let you know how it goes," Shino said with a wave as he made his way home, "See you."

"Later, pal! Best of luck! Oh!" he exclaimed, making the Aburame pause, "And make sure you up your _charm _level!"

Once he got home, Shino made sure to take a _long _nap.

* * *

Later that evening, the Aburame found himself waiting patiently at Ichiraku's for his date. He dressed casually as Kiba instructed, wearing his regular visor and hair style, but sporting a relaxed dark green cardigan with black dress pants.

He continuously glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling a bit guilty that he had to continue rejecting Ayame's questions on if he wanted food or not. He closed his eyes and slouched over, focusing on the ticking of the clock and humming from the kitchen.

After a few more moments, the doors of the restaurant chimed.

"Welcome!" Ayame called from the back.

Hearing the doors, Shino turned his head, _hoping _to find his date. A lovely lady holding hydrangeas-that's how Kiba had described her.

However, instead of a woman holding flowers, the Aburame saw the disheveled and tired-looking 7th Hokage. He had a distraught look on his face as he attempted to dig something out of an old frog wallet.

Shino turned back around, feeling something disappointment begin to bloom in his chest. It was strange. He expected this would happen.

So why did it feel twice as bad this time?

"I _know _my punch card is here somewhere! I swear it is!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

Knowing the blonde would try to engage the quiet Aburame in unwanted conversation, Shino tried to hide in his cardigan. Maybe he could slip out without Naruto noticing him. He was already capable of doing that without trying, in any case.

Unfortunately, Naruto turned, automatically recognizing the other man. A look of excitement crossed his tired features. Shino groaned internally. He should have called it quits after 30 minutes.

"_Shino_? Is that you?"

He nodded evenly. "It's good to see you, Hokage-sama."

"Enough of that, Shino! Just call me _Naruto_!" He grinned, "We're friends! It feels weird for you to call me so formally, ya know?"

Naruto gestured to the chair next to the other man and took a seat. "So, what are you up to? Are you here for Ichiraku's Tuesday special, too? It's really good, ya know! Would highly recommend."

The Aburame paused before clearing his throat.

"I was… requested by Kiba to meet a woman he set up on a date for me," he answered, immediately regretting it. The way he phrased it made Shino feel even more embarrassed and pitiful. Hopefully Naruto couldn't tell.

He really should have just stayed home.

"Ooh, a blind date! And where is the lucky person?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

"... I'm actually not sure where she is."

"Well, what time were you supposed to meet her?"

"Seven."

The Hokage's eyes widened in shock when he glanced at the clock on the wall. 8.49 pm. The Hokage opened his mouth to speak before being interrupted.

"I'm aware of what time it is, Naruto. I was simply going to wait until 9 to leave," Shino responded, reserved. A schedule ran through his mind. He would leave at 9, go to sleep at 10, wake up at 6, then possibly kill Kiba before work since he knew the man would most definitely come see him for news on the date.

The Hokage glanced down at the counter, eyes sad and empathetic. While Shino didn't openly show it, Naruto was sure he felt disappointed and maybe even angry at the situation. He knew first-hand just how much it hurt to be rejected.

He glanced at Shino from the corner of his eye and grinned widely. The Aburame immediately noticed the look in the blonde's eyes, concluding that his hastily made mental schedule was going to be disrupted once more.

"Did you eat, yet?"

Shino paused. "No… I-"

"Excuse me, Ayame-chan!" Naruto interrupted, "Two bowls of the pork tonkatsu ramen, please!" The Hokage placed a friendly arm on the other's shoulder, "I guess _I'll _just have to be your date tonight, Shino!"

"This is unnecessary, Naruto," he shook his head, "Why? Becau-"

"-Well, I already ordered two bowls and you're just gonna have to eat one of them unless you want the food to go to waste. In fact, as your Hokage, I _order _you to stay here and eat dinner with me!"

Shino looked down, Naruto staring at him with expectant eyes. This situation felt familiar; Naruto was almost as-if not more than-stubborn than Kiba. Knowing it would be pointless to argue with the blonde when he had his mind made up, the Aburame eventually relented. Naruto had always been infuriatingly persistent, even during their Academy days.

"I suppose."

This was definitely not how he envisioned his evening going. Naruto grinned happily as two large ramen bowls were placed in front of them.

"Itadakimasu!" the blonde chirped before slurping loudly into his bowl. The Hokage ate his ramen as if he hadn't eaten in weeks, as opposed to Shino's much slower pace. The Aburame preferred to take his time and enjoy his food- unlike the man sitting next to him.

After a quick 10 minutes, Naruto slammed his chopsticks on the counter, exhaling contentedly.

"Ah, that really hits the spot!"

Shino drank his soup broth a few minutes later before eventually finishing. He supposed the good food and company could make up for the poor date situation he found himself in earlier. At least he didn't have to spend any money.

"...Thank you, Naruto," Shino said after a few minutes, "The food was excellent."

"Hey glad to see you're a fan, too! And I'm glad you enjoyed our date!" The Hokage laughed.

The ghost of a smile made its way across Shino's face. "I suppose I did. I'll make sure to keep this a secret from Hinata."

"Oh, please do. She can really get scary when she's angry, ya know," Naruto shuddered.

"Believe me," Shino quietly chuckled, "I know." The Aburame sat up and complemented the cook before bidding Naruto a good night.

"G'night, Shino! Sorry it didn't work out but hey-there's plenty of fish in the sea. Or maybe," he joked, "there's plenty of _bugs _in the _forest_."

Shino chuckled at the Hokage's somewhat stupid joke before quietly exiting the restaurant. Exhausted with the unsettling mix of emotions in his chest, the man yearned for the solitude of his home.

Outside of the ramen shop, he listened to the soothing chirp of cicadas and exhaled, ready to be done with the day. He stared at the road ahead of him towards the Aburame compound, feeling a nice nighttime walk would do him some good.

* * *

In reflection, he supposed the night could have turned out much worse. The woman could have shown up only to shriek at him with fear, or think his abilities were frightening and prompt her to leave early with Shino left to pay the bill. The unsettling feelings still lingered, but they thankfully seemed to settle down for the most part.

The Aburame smiled at the idea of being able to go home and relax like what he originally intended. He leisurely walked down the street filled with beckoning food vendors and small trinket shops, making his way towards the Aburame compound.

He was really looking forward to the rest of his evening, but unfortunately for the Aburame, he felt a few drops of rain. While Shino usually had no issue with roughing it out, the sweater he was wearing was cashmere and one of his favorites. He supposed he could have used his insects, but he really didn't have the energy to summon them at the moment.

He wanted to find shelter but was a bit further away from most of the larger street shops. The Aburame compound was more isolated in the forest, away from the noise.

To his relief, he saw the warm light of a small store illuminating the almost empty street in front of him. He hesitated to enter until he heard a crash of thunder. He quickly rushed underneath the roof of the store before it started pouring.

Shino tsked. He should have brought an umbrella.

He turned around to examine the small shop. The layout was similar to the old Ichiraku's stand before it got remodeled, but there was a door in the back, possibly for storage. He had never noticed this place before, but from what he could tell, it was rather old. The counters were cracked and it's paint chipped. There were even a few leaks in the roof.

What was this place? There was nothing on the walls hinting that the place had a name or was even taken care of. Even the cherry blossom trees surrounding it seemed a bit untamed.

Its poor condition told Shino that this establishment wasn't actually a store, but the stocked shelves full of a warm yellow liquid with prices on them suggested otherwise. He inhaled and noted the sweet aroma. Those were probably jars of honey, then.

He glanced around the shop once more. Did this place even have an owner? His insects detected the chakra of someone in the back, but Shino didn't want to summon them. This place was probably supposed to be closed for the evening anyways, it was just the closest one in the area.

Another crack of thunder erupted, the rain seemingly unending. Shino groaned. He would probably be here for awhile.

With nothing else to do, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. The Aburame shut his eyes for a bit, content to just listen to the pitter patter of the falling water.

Too bad it was raining; the fireflies would have come out.

The groaning of the shop's door prompted the Aburame to snap his eyes open and straighten up. He was expecting an older person-most likely the owner-to appear, ready to question him why a complete stranger with a visor was standing randomly in their shop.

What he did _not _expect was for the person to be a sniffling woman that couldn't have been more than 30. A woman whose cheeks looked red and eyes puffy. Shino stared at her unintentionally, curious to know why she was crying.

Upon registering his presence, the woman's eyes snapped wide open.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, rubbing her nose and fanning her eyes, "O-oh, I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't realize you were there! Would you like to buy anything? I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away in the back, and-"

"I-it's alright," Shino replied, "No worries. I just needed some shelter from the rain."

She gave him a shaky smile and patted her cheeks, trying to shake off the tears. "Of course, no, I… I should have guessed that. Um, feel free to browse if you'd like! We have a wide array of honey products, as you can see, specially prepared in Iwa-Iwagakure..."

Though the woman tried to sound excited, the Aburame couldn't miss the crack in her voice. There were tears still dripping down her face. He didn't know this woman in the slightest, but Shino felt _bad_. Really bad. This woman was probably going through something and had to worry about the presence of a complete stranger, as well.

Silently, he pulled out a grey handkerchief from his pocket.

"I'm sorry that I bothered you," Shino said as he offered the handkerchief to her, "I'll leave right now-"

A loud crack of thunder interrupted him. The rain seemed to pour even harder now.

The woman gratefully took the handkerchief and patted down her eyes. She replied to him shakily, "N-no, I'm just a mess. Please don't leave out in the rain, sir. I'll be fine after a few seconds, I promise! Just a few moments…"

Shino looked at her, unsure of what to do. He knew what a younger child usually needed when they cried, but he wasn't the best with adults.

After a few moments of hearing the woman's sniffling with the unending sound of rain in the background, Shino finally asked.

"... Would you like to talk about it?"

She snapped her eyes back to him. Shino was able to see that they were a sharp steel-gray now that they were less puffy and red. She released an airy chuckle, her sniffles becoming more spaced out.

"Thank you, that's so nice of you," she waved off the concern, "And it's nothing really."

Shino pondered silently before speaking once more. She shouldn't have to swallow her feelings on his account. "It isn't 'nothing' if it caused you to feel this way. I know i'm a stranger, but I'll listen... if you want someone to."

The woman's mouth slowly shifted into a ghost of a smile smile. She ran a hand through her orange-brown hair and cleared her throat.

"Oh, I… I'm just having some issues trying to adjust. I'm new here, to this village. I had hoped to start a honey business, but things haven't been going according to plan. The people I've met in this village are so kind and welcoming, but I can't help but feel… lonely, I guess."

"It can be difficult to adjust to new things and changes," Shino replied, just loud enough to be heard over the rain, "It's hard when things don't... go according to plan, as you said." His evening was living proof of the statement.

The woman sighed and played with her hair. "It really is. Difficult, I mean. I've felt… well, I _feel _disappointed. Disappointed that I chose to leave home. This honey is my pride and joy, and this shop… This shop is my _dream_, yet it's so shabby and I haven't even had a single customer despite being here for a few days."

Saying nothing, Shino reached into his pocket and pulled out a bill. "That one," he gestured towards one of the larger honey jars on the bottom shelf, "Please."

The woman's eyes widened before she gestured frantically with her hands. "I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was sad so you would give me your money! You can keep it really! It's fine! You already listened to me long enough-"

"-Well, I wasn't going to just _give _you my money," he smiled, "Why? Because I'm a teacher and my salary isn't spectacular. So... I'd like one of your jars of honey, please."

The woman observed the Aburame for a few moments. Finally, she nodded before turning around to retrieve the jar. She held onto it as if it were the most delicate thing in the universe and carefully placed it into a plastic bag.

Shino handed her the bill before taking the bag holding his newly-purchased honey.

"Keep the change."

The woman quirked an eyebrow and smiled, "Now, that's simply too much, sir. I have change in the back, I assure you-"

"-Perhaps I _want _to let you have the change. 'The customer is always right', as they say. You shouldn't deny your customer, it isn't a good business practice. And logically speaking, you would waste less energy if you simply accepted the money."

She snorted quietly, the sound like a small bell. "Let me get you something else, at least."

"You don't need to-"

"-Well, I _want _to. And as the business owner, I have the right to deny you service if you reject this gift," she laughed, "It's nothing bad, I promise. Consider it a special award for being my very first customer! One second, please." She left to retrieve something from the back.

A few moments later, the woman re-emerged holding an item in yellow wrapping paper. She slowly handed it to Shino.

"It's a surprise," she giggled, "so please don't open it until you get home!"

Another loud crack of thunder boomed. Shino chuckled dryly. "That may be awhile. I hope you don't mind if I use your shop as shelter until the rain lets up."

The woman grinned. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you like-Oh! I'm sorry, we've been talking for so long and I just realized I never got your name."

"Shino," he replied with a slight bow. He supposed that in that moment, he simply forgot to tell her his surname. Perhaps a subconscious part of him realized he was having a rather pleasant time talking to this woman and didn't want to walk back home in the pouring rain because she felt uncomfortable with the fact that he was host to billions of parasitic insects.

"It's very nice to meet you, Shino-san. I'm Mitsu…" she paused, "...mi. I'm sorry, I blanked out there for a moment! It's Mitsumi." She gave the Aburame a slight bow in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Mitsumi-san."

Another crack of thunder boomed. Mitsumi looked sympathetically at Shino.

"I'm sorry you have to be stranded here until the rain clears up. I can get you a chair from the back? If you'd like."

"No, it's my fault, anyways," Shino answered, "Why? Because it was _my _decision to wear cashmere tonight. I'd like to avoid getting this sweater wet, it's one of my favorites."

Mitsumi laughed at that, and it came out like a soft snort. Shino was entirely serious about what he had said, but she seemed to find that funny. Her laughter brought a strange warmth to his chest.

After a few moments, the woman had an 'aha' moment and went to the back once more. When she came back out, there was a yellow umbrella with a cute bumblebee design in her hand. She held it towards the Aburame.

"I remembered I have a spare umbrella in the back. It's a bit old," she explained, "But it should work just fine to get you home. You're more than welcome to stay, of course! I'm not trying to rush you out the door or anything, but you _did_ say you were a teacher and I know you probably have to wake up early and-Oh! I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Um, here you go…"

Shino examined the umbrella. It _did _look like it had seen it's fair share of storms, but the Aburame was more preoccupied with the design of bumblebees on it.

There was no other way to describe it but _cute. _He actually liked it a bit _too _much.

Mitsumi noticed the man examining the pattern and nervously explained, "I-I really like bees. Well, I like all insects in general, but especially bees. If you don't like the pattern-"

Shino shook his head, looking at the woman with a hint of surprise. It was a bit rare to find a person that openly admitted they like bugs.

"N-no, I like it. Thank you, Mitsumi-san. I'll be sure to bring this back to you tomorrow. If you're open, that is."

She smiled brightly, "I'll look forward to it, Shino-san. Please, get home safely. Hopefully you're sweater doesn't get wet."

* * *

Once Shino returned home, he left the cute bumblebee umbrella in his living room to dry. He carefully placed the honey in his pantry next to where he stored the tea.

After taking a greatly-awaited hot shower, the Aburame opened the surprise gift from Mitsumi.

He uncovered the wrapping and found a cream colored candle. It had a sweet scent to it. Taking a whiff, the Aburame realized that it was honey-scented. He smiled. How appropriate.

Eager to light it, Shino ultimately decided to save his grading for tomorrow in favor of going to sleep early.

As he lay in bed that evening, the scent of honey permeating his room, Shino thought back to his encounter and pleasant conversation with the nice honey vendor.

He smiled.

Maybe his evening wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Well, there you have it! I'll most likely post another re-written chapter either tomorrow or the day after. I'll be a bit more quick to catch up to where I previously left off.

Thank you all for reading! Please leave reviews on what you guys think, I love feedback. I'll see you all in a few days!


	2. Teatime

**Author's notes: **I'm back with a new(ish) chapter! Hope you guys enjoy, and Happy New Years!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Teatime **

Shino heard the knocking. The _knock, knock, knocking _that seemed to continue forever.

The Aburame kept his eyes closed, hoping the disruptive noise was simply a part of his imagination. He was having a peacefully strange dream where he was drinking tea with a beautiful bee princess. She smelled like sweet flowers and warm cinnamon, buzzing incoherently. Although he didn't understand her, he didn't want to hear the happy buzzing noise stop.

He got to the part of his dream where the beautiful princess offered him some honey for his tea when Kiba was finally able to wake him.

"Oi, Shino! Wake up, sleepyhead!" the Inuzuka called, banging loudly on the Aburame's door with his palm, "I know you're in there! Shino, Shino, Shino, Shino, Shi-"

His loud yelling came to a screeching halt when the door was slammed open, a storm of parasitic insects lifting Kiba into the air. The Aburame glared at him menacingly.

"Woah, woah! Hang on, pal! C'mon, I'm sorry I knocked so loudly!" He pleaded, "You wouldn't kill your best friend, would you?"

"I'm seriously considering it," Shino yawned, adjusting his visor to fit more comfortably on his face. The terror in the Inuzuka's eyes was almost funny enough to make the Aburame forget about the nice dream he interrupted.

Almost.

He never got to finish his tea.

A bug crawled across Kiba's forehead and the ninken user whimpered uncomfortably.

"Please put me down."

Sighing tiredly through his nose, the Aburame withdrew his beetles and summoned them back to his body. He made sure to do it quickly though so the Inuzuka ended up landing with an ungraceful 'oomph' without the bugs to support him. Once he got up, Kiba glared at Shino with a frown. The unbothered man was currently leaning against his front door, a sleepy look of satisfaction on his face.

"You could have just let me in normally," Kiba grumbled under his breath, "Or have left your door open. You'd think by now you would've learned that I'll _always _come over for the date details." He moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively, a toothy grin on his face.

"And _you_ should have learned by now that the least volatile option would be to call beforehand. I'm pretty sure you woke up most of my neighbors."

Shino opened his door and invited the other man in without a word. Despite how odd it looked for those who didn't know the two, this was a fairly common practice. The Aburame was rather uncomfortable with the fact that his neighbors automatically knew he had been on a date the night before if Kiba came barging in at unimaginable hours the next morning.

Kiba made himself comfortable on one of Shino's high chairs. He yawned tiredly as he watched his friend move around the kitchen to prepare some morning tea. Shino held two cups in each hand, already knowing the Inuzuka would also want some.

Shino leaned against the kitchen counter as he waited for the water to boil. He tried to ignore Kiba staring at him expectantly.

"Well?" The Inuzuka questioned, "How'd it go? Any _juicy_ details? Don't leave me hanging here."

The Aburame shrugged silently as he poured the hot water into the two cups. He opened up his pantry to get the tea powder when he saw the jar of honey there. It reminded him that he needed to give back Mitsumi's umbrella sometime today.

After mixing the powder into the hot water, he continued to stare at the dark brown liquid. In all honesty, he only got it to make Mitsumi feel better; he didn't consume it too regularly. He thought it was a bit too sweet.

The Aburame thought back to his dream. He couldn't quite remember it, but a few moments later, he called out, "I'm going to put some honey in my tea. Do you want any?"

"Ooh, I didn't know you had honey," Kiba replied, "Sure. I'm not too keen on the grocery store kind, but I could use the sweetener."

Shino placed the hot cup of tea in front of Kiba before taking a seat on the other end of the table across from him. He hesitated a bit before finally mixing some honey into his drink. The Inuzuka across from him eyed the liquid curiously as the jar got passed to him.

He took a habitual whiff.

"Woah, hey, where'd you get this? This doesn't smell like the usual honey product here in Konoha." Kiba added a few globs of it into his own tea.

The Aburame blew into his drink before taking a sip. He was surprised at how good it tasted. The sweetness of the honey paired excellently with the bitter taste of the tea. He took a few more sips before answering his friend.

"A new honey store opened near the compound a few days ago. I stopped by there yesterday to take shelter from the rain and ended up buying some honey. The owner told me it was specially prepared in Iwagakure."

The Inuzuka whistled his appreciation. "Wow, this is the _good _stuff. It makes sense it'd be from Iwa. That's where the best honey comes from, Tamaki says. Mind telling me where this place is? I think I'll go buy some for our own pantry."

"Of course," Shino nodded.

"So now that you've had you've had your tea, _Prince Charming_, mind telling me all the juicy details from last night?"

The Aburame glared before taking another sip into his tea. A few long minutes passed before he finally answered.

"She didn't come," he said quietly.

Kiba choked on his drink. "Wh-uh-_WHAT! _What do you _mean _'she didn't come'? Like she just didn't go? As in you never even _met her_?"

"You answered your own question," Shino replied, "I waited at Ichiraku's for about one and a half hours until Naruto came. He felt bad for me, so he bought me dinner."

Kiba inhaled through his teeth. "I'm...I'm so sorry, man."

Shino looked down into his cup, staring at his reflection in the dark liquid. "I suppose it could have been worse. I did get a free dinner out of it, at least. And I also found that honey store."

"But still," Kiba said sadly, "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Shino. I would've never made you went if I knew that would happen."

"I feel like you say that about every poor date you set up for me. It doesn't matter, in any case. All I ask is that you take a break from setting me up on anymore blind dates. Because they're quite taxing on me emotionally, especially when they end up like this."

"Yeah… yeah, ok. I-I'm, I'm sorry again, Shino." The Inuzuka looked down into his mug, disappointment evident in his eyes. Kiba had always been rather easy to read.

"It's ok Kiba, really. My evening could have been worse, in all honesty."

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Shino quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Not that he didn't enjoy the Inuzuka's company, but he had been in his home for longer than he expected. Was he working today? The trek from the Aburame compound to the police station was at least a 10 minute journey.

"...Kiba, are you off today? Because your shift should be starting soon-"

"-Oh, crap, that's right!" Kiba exclaimed frantically, "What time is it?"

Shino glanced at the clock. "6.43."

"Damn, _already_? I have to get to the office by 7!" The Inuzuka finished the last of his tea and quickly got up. After putting his tea cup in the sink, he patted his friend on the shoulder before heading towards the door.

"Thanks for the tea. Tell me where you got the honey later, would you?"

"Will do," the Aburame replied calmly before taking another sip. It really was quite good.

The Inuzuka paused, eyes cast downwards.

"And… And I'm sorry, again."

"You know," Shino smirked, undisturbed by the other man's sympathetic apology, "I'm beginning to think Tamaki is making you soft, Kiba."

A blush appeared on the Inuzuka's face while he put on his sandals. "Shut up, Shino!"

Once Kiba left, Shino closed the door. He relished in the peaceful silence of his house once more. When he finished, he put the honey away and cleaned the dishes. Glancing at the clock, he began to get ready for work.

Fully dressed and in the process of leaving, Shino noted that he still needed to give Mitsumi her umbrella back. He packed the item safely into his work bag. He saw that he still had about an hour before he needed to be at the academy. He could probably give it back during his early morning stroll.

He walked down the main street of the Aburame compound and greeted a few clan elders sitting outside to view the sunrise. He originally intended to go to Mitsumi's shop, but ended up striking a conversation with one of his previous-and memorably loud- students.

"Oi, Shino-Sensei!" Boruto Uzumaki tiredly called, "Good morning." He let out a yawn.

"Good morning, Boruto. Have a mission today?"

The blonde nodded tiredly. "Yeah, and Sarada yelled at me to try and be earlier this time. But whaddaya know? Looks like I'm the only one that's actually here on time." He frowned, "It _sucks_. Our missions are so _lame_."

"Well, Boruto," Shino began, already feeling an opportune moment to give advice arise, "You have to walk before you can run. Patience and practice will be your best assets in the ninja world. Why? Bec-"

"-_Snore_," Boruto grinned, "C'mon, Sensei, you taught us that already! Is your memory finally going?"

The Aburame quirked a brow and smirked, "Oh? So you actually _did _pay attention in class, then? That's the biggest surprise I've had this entire week."

The Uzumaki pouted, an embarrassed flush painting his cheeks. "Aw, whatever, Sensei!"

Shino ruffled the Uzumaki's hair fondly. The boy shared so many aspects of his personality and appearance with Naruto, but the Aburame couldn't help but see Hinata in him as well. His determination was quite fierce.

"Good luck with your mission, Boruto," he said, a tiny smile on his face.

"Yeah, thanks Sensei!" the Uzumaki replied, "Good luck with teaching too, ya know!"

Shino glanced at a screen projector to view the time. He only had about 15 minutes to get to the Academy. Oh, well. He could always give Mitsumi her umbrella back after work. He walked a bit quicker. It seemed like most of Konoha's citizens were up and about already. It made sense; the first shift was starting and school for most students began in about 30 minutes.

He bumped into another one of his students-Yuna-on his way to the Academy.

"G-Good morning, Aburame-Sensei," the shy girl greeted, looking nervously down at her hands. Yuna was a very bright girl with a large deal of potential. Oftentimes, her issues arose with her own lack of self-confidence. Shino was hoping that he would be able to help her overcome those problems during the duration of her learning from him.

"Good morning, Yuna-chan," he replied in a friendly voice, "I trust I'll be seeing you in class later?"

With a nervous blush on her freckles cheeks, she answered, "H-hai, Sensei! I'll see you."

She gave her teacher a nod and walked quickly towards the Academy, clutching tightly onto her lunch box.

Shino watched her back as she faded further away. He pondered on what exercises he could do to help students like Yuna in raising their own self-confidence. Afterall, a Shinobi that couldn't even trust himself would have a much harder time trusting their teammates. Of course, there were students that were arrogant and had the exact_ opposite_ of that problem, but Shino decided he would look into it later.

School was about to start.

A few more of his students greeted him as he walked into the Academy, happy smiles decorating their faces. He sighed contentedly as he entered his classroom, ready to start the new day.

* * *

"Bye, Shino-Sensei! See you tomorrow!"

His new group of students said their goodbyes and rushed to leave now that the school day was over. The teacher leaned back in his chair, enjoying the pleasant summer day. He had just finished grading half of the short essays he had his students write on why they wanted to become Shinobi.

One answer made him smile in particular:

_'My dad is a strong Shinobi, and I want to be just like him one day.'_

The young child-Sora-then continued to write about the amazing feats of his father, in truth, straying from the original prompt. The language and pride in the student's essay, however, made Shino feel inclined to let it slide. That was one of the reasons he himself wanted to become a ninja.

"Maybe I should go visit dad," he mumbled to himself, "It's been awhile."

Shibi would definitely appreciate the visit; no one else lived with his dad since Shino moved to a smaller place a few blocks away.

His mother passed when Shino was barely two, leaving his father to raise and care for him. Shibi instilled in him his love for insects and taught him the clan traditions he was expected to follow as son of the head Aburame. Torune eventually entered their family when Shino was five and from that day forward they formed a small, yet happy, family.

A fond memory of Shino sneaking out at night with Torune to catch beetles crossed his mind. That was the night Shino found one of his largest rhinoceros beetles, affectionately naming it Toru. When morning came, Shibi ended up scolding the two for being so reckless, but it had been one of the funnest nights of Shino's childhood. A wave of nostalgia coursed through him.

"_I'm glad you made friends."_

The memory made Shino sad, but at the same time, he couldn't have been happier with the life he lived. He made good friends like his brother wanted and found a job he loved that fostered growth for the next generation. He glanced across the classroom, feeling so much older now. Now that he no longer sat their listening, but _teaching_ the daily lessons in the front.

"Maybe," Shino hushed, "Maybe I'll go visit you sometime, too… Torune."

Shino closed his binder. He ended up finishing all of his grading for the week. He exited the Academy and bid a good evening to Anko and a few of his other coworkers.

By the entrance of the school, he saw a familiar tuft of unruly brown hair laughing next to a shorter brunette woman. The woman looked tired of the other's behavior.

"Kiba, Tamaki," Shino waved politely, "How are you?"

"A bit tired, but otherwise great! It's really nice to see you, Shino," Tamaki replied, giving him a friendly hug,

"Did you two need me for something?"

Kiba's face flashed before he gave his friend a large grin and pat on the shoulder.

"Let's get dinner tonight! Ichiraku's, my treat."

The Aburame quirked an eyebrow. That was odd. Kiba knew how he disliked surprises, especially if they were on weekdays.

"Is it for a special occasion? Why Ichiraku's?"

"You could say that," Kiba replied, something hidden in the tone of his voice, "And I just have a craving for some hot ramen, is all."

What was going on? Shino looked to Tamaki for any clues, but found nothing but a somewhat guilty expression on her face. The woman remained silent.

It finally dawned on Shino that the two may have still felt bad about the date and were doing this to appease him.

"...Kiba, if this is about the date again, I told you it's fine-"

"-It's not! Look, I got a promotion at work and wanted to celebrate," he rushed out, "C'mon! _I'm _the one paying for it, so you get nothing out of the dinner besides a free meal. Doesn't get any better than that, right?"

"Kiba," Tamaki finally sighed, "Maybe you should just leave it _alone_, I don't think Shino wants to come. You shouldn't hide something like this from him."

Kiba's face shifted. He groaned, "I feel just as bad about this too, but she's just _waiting _there-"

Before the two got into a argument, Shino asked, "... May I _please _know what you're planning before I decide to go to dinner or not?"

Tamaki smiled sympathetically at him. "Look, I spoke to the woman you were supposed to have a date with yesterday- Asahi- and she said she had a terrible migraine from work the other day. She meant to take a small nap, but ended up sleeping the whole night."

Shino remained silent. Part of him had his doubts, but at least there was a legitimate-_sounding _reason why this Asahi woman couldn't go. The Aburame thought he was over the dejecting encounter, but the twist in his chest told him that evidently, he was not.

"Anyway," Tamaki continued, "She felt really _really_ bad and told me that if you wanted to go for dinner again, she'd be at Ichiraku's."

"I met her today, Shino," Kiba explained truthfully, "She really is a nice girl. _Very_ smart. I know I promised you no more blind dates, and I respect that, but…"

"-But don't feel pressured to go if you don't want to, Shino," Tamaki finished.

The Aburame thought to himself quietly. He knew that if something were to go wrong again with tonight, it would take him a bit longer to recover than usual. Asahi was making an effort to see him, so perhaps it was only polite that he meet her halfway.

"... Will the two of you be there?"

Kiba's eyebrows raised. "Only if you want us to."

The Aburame sighed and began quietly walking towards the ramen shop.

"Let's go, then."

"_Really_?" the two exclaimed, following after him.

"I don't want to be rude and decline Asahi-san's offer," Shino murmured, "But I _am _ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, Kiba."

"Oi!"

* * *

"Hello, Shino-san. I'm terribly sorry about the other evening. I hadn't slept the night before because of work, and I suppose that took its toll on me."

Shino examined the woman. Kiba wasn't lying when she said was pretty. One could describe her as _stunningly_ beautiful. Long blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail accentuated by startling emerald eyes. When she rose from her seat to meet greet him. Shino noted that she was quite tall as well. Only a few inches shorter than him.

"It's quite alright, Asahi-san. I understand just how stressful work can be."

Kiba grinned at the exchange between the two. So far, so good.

They didn't _hate _each other, at least.

"So? What are we waiting for, then? Let's get some food!"

* * *

Overall, Shino was having a... _decent _time.

Asahi was a very well-spoken woman. She moved to Konoha a few years ago and spent most of her time working days at the new extension of their public library. She was a historian that loved reading books and learning new information, but felt that her work was rather exhausting. _Extremely_ exhausting.

In fact…

"And _I _think it's just plain _moronic _that they schedule me on a holiday. Even _I _wouldn't go to the library that day. Right?"

"R-right," Tamaki agreed uneasily.

"Yup, totally _moronic_," Kiba echoed, eyes screaming _"I'm extraordinarily bored"_.

"..."

The beautiful woman stared expectantly at the Aburame, eyes shining.

Shino cleared his throat. "... Indeed, Asahi-san."

"I mean," she continued, "you would think someone of _my _skill level could be used for more in that place, but _I _think it's their loss." She dabbed on the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and set her chopsticks down, "I really should just quit. See what they missed out on, huh? What do you think?" The woman said that more so to herself, not quite taking the hint that no one wanted to listen.

"I think that was absolutely _lovely_," she chirped, "Are any of you interested in getting drinks?"

Kiba quickly answered. "Uh, I think I'll pass. I have to get up early tomorrow for work-"

"-And that's the thing, too!" she interrupted, "The library has me working so _early_. I have to wake up at 6.00 every morning. I think that's plain silly considering it doesn't open until 9.00. And their break schedule is so terribly uncoordinated, I get so frustrated!"

"I'm sorry, Asahi-san," Tamaki responded patiently. Though, the look in her eyes indicated that she might snap at any moment. "I think I'll also have to pass on drinks."

Asahi turned towards her date. "And I suppose you don't want to go out either, Shino-san? You probably have to get up early, as well, what with your _business_...Where did you say you worked again?"

That was the last straw.

The Aburame rose from his seat and responded curtly, "It was nice meeting you, Asahi-san. I'm afraid I can't go out for drinks tonight. Why? Because it's a work night and I have to wake up early to _teach_. I don't suppose you caught that though. Have a good evening."

Although he knew it was impolite, Shino quickly grabbed his bag and left Ichiraku's, not caring what anyone had to say. All he wanted to do was go home and relax in peaceful solitude. Not have to listen anymore to someone who couldn't even bother to remember what he did for a living.

He was also tempted to ignore Kiba, who was calling out to him. After a few minutes, the Aburame finally slowed his pace to let his friend catch up.

"Hey," Kiba gasped, "Man, you walk fast!"

Shino remained silent as the two walked slowly towards the Aburame compound. Kiba decided to speak up after the silence became too much for him.

"So… Asahi, huh?"

"... Where is Tamaki? She didn't come with you."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, yeah, she took one for the team and offered to walk her home after you stormed out."

"... I apologize, but in all honesty, _Naruto _was better company than that woman."

The Inuzuka laughed. "Meh, I don't blame ya for storming off," Kiba shrugged, "All that chick did was talk about her _work_. I mean, if she really had that much of a problem with the library's break schedule, she could just take a permanent break and _quit. _Sorry, this one didn't work out, Shino."

"It's fine," he sighed, knowing that it _wasn't_ fine, "But I'd like to… I'd like to be by myself right now, Kiba."

"O-oh, sure man," he replied, stopping in his tracks, "Yeah, I'll leave you to it, then. Take it easy, Shino. Have a good night." The Inuzuka took one last sympathetic glance at his friend, who was silently walking away into the stillness of the night.

"Will do," Shino called back, not bothering to turn around.

* * *

With all of the _excitement_ of the evening, Shino wasn't sure if he even wanted to speak to Mitsumi to give her umbrella back. He felt bad, but he really had no desire to deal with another person's problems.

He heard the word _I _more in one evening than he had this entire week. Despite his bitterness, the Aburame ultimately decided to swallow his feelings and return the umbrella. It was only right.

Plus it took take up quite a lot of space in his bag.

Shino followed his path from before, a light indicating that the honey shop was indeed still open. When he reached it, he found some new additions were placed around the store. It still looked shabby, but it was more clean compared to yesterday.

There was even a chair to sit on that wasn't there before. Shino quietly took a seat and heard the chair groan under the new pressure. Mitsumi was nowhere in sight, so the Aburame automatically assumed she was in the back.

Digging through his bag, Shino took out the yellow umbrella and stared at it without thinking. He really enjoyed the bumblebee pattern on it.

His eyes snapped up when he heard the familiar freak of the back door.

Mitsumi looked significantly better than yesterday, as well. Shino was relieved to see she wasn't crying this time. She hummed a tune to herself, part of a cookie hanging in her mouth, while balancing a tray in one hand and what looked like a cup of hot tea in the other.

She jumped when she noticed Shino. She quickly set the materials down in front of her and wiped off the crumbs from her work apron.

"Shino-san!" Mitsumi chirped, "It's so good to see you again!"

The Aburame nodded. "It's good to see you, too, Mitsumi. You look happier, I'm glad."

The woman smiled in relief. "I _feel _happier," she replied as she slid the plate of cookies towards him, "I'm not sure how to explain it, but things started to get much better after last night. I even had a few customers today! Maybe you're lucky or something, Shino-san? And please, help yourself! Would you like some tea?"

Shino was tempted to say _"No, I'm only here to return your umbrella, Mitsumi-san. I should get going"_ and be done with it, but something about the situation felt oddly familiar for some reason he couldn't describe.

That convinced him to stay.

"If you have any tea, that would be much appreciated, Mitsumi-san."

"Of course! One moment please!" She disappeared into the back room once more.

Hesitantly, Shino grabbed a cookie and inspected it. It looked vanilla-flavored and was shaped like some sort of animal. With a chuckle, he finally realized it was a bee. He took a small bite.

The cookie was honey-flavored (he honestly should have expected that) and it was _good_. He was halfway through eating it when Mitsumi came back out with another cup. She grinned when she saw him eating.

"So, what do you think? Also, it's green tea. I hope you don't mind."

The Aburame gratefully accepted the cup. "It's delicious, Mitsumi-san. And thank you."

The honey vendor took a seat behind the counter and grabbed another cookie. "No, thank _you_! I think you visiting yesterday did a complete 180 on my situation. Things just seem… brighter for some reason," she blew into her cup, "Would you like some honey, by the way? It pairs excellently with tea if you haven't tried it."

Shino paused.

It all felt extremely familiar, it did. It was too bad he couldn't remember why that was.

"Yes, I would like some honey. Thank you."

After adding a few drops to his tea, the two sat in comfortable silence, both enjoying the sound of cicadas in the background. Shino observed as the woman rested her head against her hand, her eyes closed. She hummed contentedly to herself before her steel-gray eyes opened and focused on him.

"So, how are you?" she inquired, "How was work? Anything new with yours students?"

For some reason, that caught him off guard. He was surprised the woman remembered.

The Aburame supposed was so used to listening to others problems from this evening, he forgot what it felt like when someone asked him how _he _was doing.

"You really want to know?"

The woman's eyebrows furrowed as if she were confused by that question. "Of course! _You _listened to me yesterday, no questions asked. It's only right that I return the favor. Besides! Teaching has to have its exciting moments!"

Shino opened his mouth to speak but seemed he couldn't find the words he was looking for. He looked at Mitsumi. She stared at him, steel-gray shining brighter than emerald green, and gave him a patient smile.

"Go on… I'm listening."

She had asked about the Aburame's day, listening and responding to even the minimal aspects of his morning. Shino never knew how good it felt to talk about himself.

More so, he never knew how good it felt to have someone genuinely listen.

* * *

He hadn't meant to stay so long, but a glance to the newly-added clock on the wall indicated that he had spent more than an hour at the honey shop, talking about nothing and everything. The tea and cookies had been finished long-ago, and now the two were simply content to be in the other's company.

He began to talk about his students' essays on why they wanted to become Shinobi and found a dumbfounded look on the woman's face.

"Wait, you're a _Shinobi?" _She exclaimed, "Why didn't you _say _that?"

Shino shrugged as a relaxed smirk came onto his face. "You never asked. With your level of excitement, I thought you would have at least guessed that I did more than a regular instructor."

"Obviously not!" She gave the man a playful push, "And here I was, thinking you taught regular math and Japanese."

"I _do_."

"Yeah, in addition to teaching eight-year-olds how to throw Shuriken! I said teaching had it's exciting moments, but everyday is probably an exciting moment for you!"

"It's only exciting because I'm still a relatively new teacher. There's not much we can do besides learn when it rains outside. I already had an incident regarding indoor training."

The mention of rain finally reminded him of why he had come to the shop in the first place.

"That reminds me, Mitsumi-san," he said, "I originally came here to return this. Thank you for allowing me to borrow it."

"Oh, I completely forgot about that!" She laughed as she took back the yellow umbrella. "That also reminds me: I completely forgot to give _this _back to you!"

From the front pocket of her apron, the honey vendor pulled out the handkerchief Shino gave her yesterday. He inspected it carefully.

"I cleaned it, I promise," she rushed out nervously, "I-I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday, Shino-san. I really needed that. Someone to listen, I mean. So thank you."

The Aburame nodded and gathered his things. While he wished he could have stayed longer, but he _did _need to sleep sometime. "Of course, Mitsumi-san. And… thank you for listening to me, as well."

The honey vendor looked down and a faint blush tinged her cheeks. "No, not at all! I think _this_-having tea and everything-was very nice. You're always welcome to come back and do this again."

Shino's mouth opened slightly in surprise. He stared at her silently, unsure of what to say.

The man's stare unfortunately seemed to make the woman nervous. "I-If you want to, at least! No one's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do, _I'm _certainly not. It's ok if you don't want to come back, I'm-"

"-I'd like that," Shino blurted out, "To come back and do this again. I had a very pleasant evening, Mitsumi-san."

"_One of the best ones in awhile_" he wanted to add.

The woman exhaled. "I did too, Shino-san. I'd say more, but I'm afraid you'd be stuck here all night, and you _do _have Shinobi to train tomorrow."

The Aburame observed the woman. She was quite lovely when she felt more comfortable. He thought back to how one rainy and rather unfortunate night was what ultimately led to their acquaintanceship.

"Good night then, Mitsumi-san."

"G'night, Shino-san… Please get home safely."

* * *

**Author's notes: **There you have it! I wanted to add a scene where Shino goes on a terrible date because I enjoy seeing our favorite bug boy angsty and irritated :) People that only talk about themselves can be really annoying, I'll tell ya.

Thanks for reading, expect a new chapter sometime tomorrow. Those of you that left reviews/faved/followed deserve the whole universe.


	3. Trouble in Paradise

**Author's notes: **I'm back! Sorry it's a bit late from what I said last chapter-we're having people stay at our house at the moment, so I've been a bit busy!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Trouble in Paradise**

Shino awoke the next morning satisfied and content. For the past few weeks, he had been feeling rather dejected and closed-off, but his exchange with Mitsumi the other night seemed to be exactly what he needed to get back to his normal self. It was as if an immense weight fell off of his shoulder.

He rose quietly from his bed and moved to get ready for the day. As he drank his tea (with honey now), he found himself smiling into the liquid. Shino was in an uncommonly good mood. Leaving for work, he glanced towards the grassy pathway that led to the Aburame cemetery.

With a melancholic smile, he decided that he would go visit Torune in the afternoon, just after work. And if his father wasn't too busy, he would try and visit him in the evening, perhaps even invite him to dinner.

Shino decided to take the longer route to the Academy and stretch his legs. He figured he should savor the warm weather before it became too cold.

He walked passed the shabby honey store, wondering if he would see Mitsumi setting up. This _was _usually the time store vendors decided to open, after all. The Aburame smiled when he did indeed see the honey vendor up excitedly speaking to an older person. The plastic bag in their hand suggested they were a customer.

Shino wanted to wave, but concluded that she was busy and kept walking. It was good that more and more people were learning about the existence of Mitsumi's shop. It was a good feeling.

When someone acknowledge your dream.

That also reminded him that he should inform Kiba on the location of the store. Hopefully that would bring in some more customers since Kiba enjoyed talking.

The rest of his day continued rather normally. One of his students hit their head while practicing their chakra control and had to get sent to the nurse's office. He also got invited to get drinks with some of his coworkers in the evening, but he politely declined.

He wanted to keep his promise to see Torune, after all.

The buzzing of cicadas in the hot summer afternoon filled Shino's ears as he made his way back home. He closed his eyes as the noise almost lulled him into a trance. He hadn't even noticed that someone was calling his name.

"_-san! Shino-san!"_

He hadn't even realized he was almost back to the compound. When he looked to his left, he saw it was Mitsumi calling out his name. Her eyes crinkled in delight when she saw him walking towards the shop.

"Hello, Mitsumi-san," he greeted, "Sorry, I couldn't hear you earlier."

"No, no! That's alright! I'm sorry if I interrupted you from something, I just have wonderful news and you're the first person I wanted to tell!"

Shino quickly took a seat. "Oh? What is it?"

"One of my customers today, an older gentleman- Tanaka-san - bought one of my jars of honey this morning!"

"The carpenter? Older and rather eccentric?"

"Yes!" She nodded enthusiastically, "So you _do _know who I'm talking about! But that's not all! He bought one of my honey jars this morning, and liked it so much that he came back this afternoon! He offered to fix up some of the more damaged parts of my store if I supplied him with a month's worth of honey!"

"That's wonderful, Mitsumi-san," Shino replied, "Congratulations."

"Thank you! Oh, I couldn't have done this without you, Shino-san. Tanaka-san said he came here because he saw _you_ purchase something from the other night! This wouldn't have been possible without you! Thank you so very much!"

The woman's praise caused the Aburame to flush. He hadn't received that much attention from someone in a long time.

"You… you're welcome, Mitsumi-san. And I don't think _any _of this would have been possible without your own hard work and determination. You should give yourself some credit, you deserve it."

Her eyes widened unexpectedly before looking down at the counter. There was a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she responded with a quick "Th-thank you."

Before Shino could say anything else, Mitsumi spoke up again. She shuffled nervously. "Um… I was wondering, Shino-san, if you were free anytime this weekend. I-It's ok, if you're not! I was just wondering. Actually, I shouldn't have asked, you're probably busy with grading papers, or-"

"-I'm free this weekend, Mitsumi-san," he said a tad breathless, "Why?"

"W-well, Tanaka-san asked that I come over to his home anytime this weekend to discuss the renovations. I asked him where he lived and he told me it was right across from a store called _Yamanaka Flowers_. I-I realized I'm not really sure where in anything is in this village, and I was wondering…" her voice dropped to a hushed whisper, "if you could show me around. Please."

Shino's immediate answer was yes, but he didn't want to come off as too forward. He settled for a reserved, "Of course. I would be happy to show you around Konoha."

The woman grinned happily. She fought the urge to hug the man in front of her. Things really seemed to be getting much better.

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"I'm free Sunday, if that works for you. Around 10.00?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, "Yes, I can definitely do that! Thank you so much, Shino-san."

"You're welcome, Mitsumi-san."

After around half an hour of idle chit chat regarding how their days went, the Aburame finally decided he should probably head home. He didn't elaborate, but he did mention his need to visit a relative he hadn't seen in awhile.

"No, of course! I'm sorry I kept you, go ahead! I… I suppose I'll see you Sunday if we don't meet earlier, then, Shino-san!"

The Aburame nodded and greeted the honey vendor a good evening. While walking on his way home, he realized that he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Nor could he stop the warm feeling in his chest when he thought about his plans for Sunday.

* * *

Once he was able to drop off his things, Shino walked through the grassy path towards the cemetery. Torune's body had never been found during the Great War, but the Aburame clan made sure he had a special stone with his name in his memory.

Shino bowed down in front of the gray stone and offered a silent prayer.

"Hello, Toru-nii," he said quietly, "I apologize that it's been so long since I've visited. I wanted to tell you that… that I'm doing well. I've made good friends like you wanted, and my students seem to like me. I enjoy teaching quite a bit actually. Dad seems to be doing alright, although I think he wishes I visited more often. I'm showing a nice young woman around Konoha on Sunday. It's not technically a date, but I wanted to tell you first. I hope that you're doing well wherever you are, Torune. I'll try to visit sooner next time."

After a few moments of silence, Shino rose up and brushed himself off. Not really wanting to leave just yet, the Aburame made his way around the cemetery to visit his dead relatives. Most of the Aburame buried in this area died from natural causes and old age.

Moving through another path, Shino arrived at one of the oldest and most special sections of the Aburame cemetery. It was this section where his grandfather and his friends were buried.

Above its entrance was an insignia of a group of beetles circling a dead bee.

All of the Aburame buried here lost their lives in the great insect battle against the Kamizuru. It was that battle that brought the Aburame prestige and nobility throughout Konoha, while bringing the downfall of the proud bee handlers from the Land of Earth.

Shino has encountered seldom Kamizuru members throughout his lifetime, but the times he had, he found them to be quite cunning and proud. Shibi had always told him the war stories of his grandfather, the great Shinta Aburame, when he was younger. Shino never actually had the chance to meet him, considering he died long before he was even born.

While the Kamizuru no longer posed any real threat to the Aburame, the disdain and hatred the older clan members have for them is rather great.

Shino exhaled, relieved that those issues were more-or-less buried in the past. The younger Aburame paid his respects before leaving the cemetery.

A few fireflies shined brightly as Shino watched the sun set below the mountains.

* * *

Deciding it was still early, Shino decided to get some grading done and create a few lesson plans for next week. After a few hours of small scribbling and grammar checks, the Aburame finally finished.

Once he was finally satisfied with looking over his corrections, the Aburame took a small nap. He figured the most logical thing to do afterwards would be to visit his father. Times of peace lead to an increasing amount of free time on Shibi's hands, so the younger Aburame was quite confident his father wouldn't be too busy for dinner.

Shino sighed.

There was a _reason _he hadn't gone to see him recently.

While the man was supportive of his career as an Academy Instructor, he had begun to passively hint at Shino taking his role as the next clan head.

While Shino had no qualms with taking that position as Shibi's son, it also meant he would eventually need to have a child to pass on the title to.

It went against both his father's and Kiba's wishes, but he never really imagined himself ever having a child. He certainly wouldn't _object _to having one, but he didn't want to have one only for the sake of passing on a title.

If he were to have a child with a woman, it would need to be someone he truly cared about.

Someone he _loved_.

But it didn't look like that was coming anytime soon, considering how his last formally titled "date" went poorly, and his meeting with Mitsumi this Sunday was just so he could show her around the village.

The chime of his clock alerted the Shino that now would be a good time to visit his father. He slowly put on his sandals and leisurely made his way towards his childhood home.

Since his home was located more inwards compared to his own home, he passed by many Aburame members. Ever courteous, he gave each a polite nod and "hello _". Many had taken to addressing him as "Shino-sama", but he never really liked how that sounded. Oftentimes to rile him up, Kiba would address him that way.

He stepped towards his dad's house. It was almost exactly like he remembered it. Towards to entrance, an insignia of a beetle was marked on the wood.

The mark of the head Aburame. He lightly rubbed the mark-a childhood habit-before making his way inside.

Shibi gave Shino a key when he finally decided to move out, saying how he was always welcome to come stay there or see him if he wanted. There was a hint of sadness in his father's tone that day, but Shino reminded him that he was only moving a few blocks.

As he quietly made his way in, he was surprised to see another person's sandals by the door.

The ceremonial hat and white cloak hanging on the coat rack alerted him that this wasn't just _any _person visiting.

Why was Naruto here?

Shino quickly took off his sandals and made his way to the living room. He heard the muffled noise of Naruto and his dad through the walls.

"... Hopefully this issue doesn't affect your clan or the village in any way, but I wanted to let you know, Aburame-san."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will discuss this during our next clan meeting, rest assured."

Shino quietly entered. His father's eyebrows raised when he saw his son. From what he could see, Naruto was sitting comfortably in a wooden chair that faced away from the entrance.

"Shino?" Shibi inquired. Naruto snapped his head back to properly view him.

"Hey, Shino!" the blonde called, "Good to see you again!"

Shino nodded. "Hello, Hokage-sama," he replied, "Hello, dad."

The older Aburame rose from his seat, placing his tea cup down on the small table, and walked towards his son. He brushed Shino's green jacket lightly, a sign that he wanted him to sit with them.

Naruto grinned from his spot as he took a sip from his cup. After a few minutes, he exhaled in satisfaction before also placing his cup on the table.

"Well, I think I should head back, Aburame-san. I have some more paperwork to fill out and I wouldn't want to interrupt your bonding time," he grinned.

Shibi nodded calmly before getting up to walk the Hokage to the door. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Please keep me informed as to any new information on their movements so I can alert the clan."

"Will do. See ya, Shino!"

The shut of the door and quiet footsteps of his father alerted Shino that Naruto had left. He looked up when he saw his father return.

"It's good to see you, son," Shibi addressed, "Would you like some tea?"

The younger Aburame politely declined. "No, I… I actually came over to visit and see if you wanted to have dinner together. I had no idea you were having a visitor over."

Shibi sighed and readjusted his glasses. "I had no idea that Naruto was coming over either. He had news regarding our clan; it was rather urgent."

Shino raised his eyebrows. What could be so important that the Hokage had to drop everything he was doing to go visit the head of quiet insect handlers that lived in the forest?

Noticing his son's expression, he answered, "I'll tell you over dinner. I was just in the middle of preparing it. Come, help me in the kitchen, son."

* * *

"Did you do anything interesting today?" Shibi asked as he blew onto a piece of steamed broccoli. They sat facing each other, their food on the traditional low-rise table.

Shino quietly chewed and swallowed before replying. "I visited the cemetery today. It's been awhile since I've done that… I wanted to pay my respects and talk to Torune."

His father nodded. Though it had been a long time since Torune passed away, it still disheartened Shibi. Shino knew for a fact that his father visited that cemetery at least twice a week to see Torune, his mother, and Shinta.

Before the younger Aburame could address the elephant in the room, his father surprised him.

"Your cousin mentioned to me how Kiba barged into your home the other day. I'm assuming he set you up on another date?"

There was a hint of mirth in his father's voice that made Shino want to turn away in embarrassment. It was a well-known fact among his neighbors by now that Kiba always visited in the early morning after Shino attended a blind date. The Inuzuka had been doing that for the past 5 years, after all.

Shino frowned. "Was it Shunji?"

Shibi smiled at his son's pout. He took another bite of his food, a bemused expression hidden underneath his usually reserved face.

"Who else?"

The younger Aburame tsked. Shunji-his younger and distantly related cousin-always did enjoy making Shino uncomfortable.

"I'm not asking to make you angry at your cousin, son," Shibi explained, "I'm asking to know how it went. Were they nice? Any luck?"

The small trace of hope in his father's voice made Shino quiet.

"She wasn't quite… my type," he finally replied. The younger Aburame felt disappointed. Not disappointed at his less-than-enjoyable date, but at the fact that after 5 years, Shino has never introduced Shibi to a single woman he's met.

"... I see. I apologize, son. Maybe it will go better for you next time."

"N-no it's alright, dad. We simply didn't 'click'," Shino paused for a moment, "... I'm showing another woman around Konoha on Sunday. She recently opened up a new business here."

"Oh? Where did Kiba meet this woman?"

The younger Aburame couldn't help feeling offended. He was _perfectly capable_ of setting up dates without Kiba's help, he just… didn't feel like it most times.

"Kiba doesn't actually know about her. I met her while walking to the compound one evening."

"Really? Well that's wonderful, son. What's her name? Perhaps you might introduce us."

"Perhaps," Shino answered, "Her name is Mitsumi. As far as I know, she recently moved her from Iwagakure to start a new honey business."

"Oh? Well that's nice. And you'll be showing her around the area for your date?"

The younger Aburame coughed into his hand, a light flush on his cheeks. "It's not a date, dad. She simply asked if I could show her around so she could find Tanaka-san's home. The carpenter."

Shibi waved off his son's protest, "Well however you address it, best of luck to you, Shino. I know you're an adult know and fully capable of making your own decisions, but do try and dress nicely. This woman has probably only seen you in your work uniform; it would make a good impression if you wore something more formal."

"Hm," Shino pondered, "That… that makes sense. Because it would only be polite. I'll try to find a nice outfit sometime this week."

His father began silently clearing the dishes. Shino quickly finished up his meal and got up to wash them as well. After he finished, he sat back down and waited before asking his father.

"Why was Naruto here, dad?"

Shibi paused. "... I had hoped to share this information during the clan meeting next week, but since you're here already, I suppose it can't be helped. I ask that you not go about spreading this to our other clan members. It may cause unnecessary unease."

"Of course."

"Earlier this evening, Naruto received two important messages from the leaders of Sunagakure and Iwagakure and saw fit to see me first. Apparently, there's been a rising… _disturbance_ from each village's respective clan of insect handlers. I trust you can infer what that implies."

Shino nodded in understanding. Within each of the five great nations, there is always a clan of insect handlers. Because of their advanced skills in tracking and covert spy work, they are often heavily utilized Shinobi. A part of his father's duty as head of the Aburame-the most powerful among the groups-was to make negotiations with the other clan heads.

From what he remembered, Konohagakure had the Aburame, Sunagakure had the Gumonosu-a clan of arachnid specialists, and Iwagakure had the…

"...Kamizuru. But what purpose would they have starting something? I was under the impression that their numbers are rather limited, and the Gumonosu clan are also relatively small compared to ours."

"They are. But the Tsuchikage and Kazekage have their suspicions that the two clans may be in cohorts with each other. The reason _why _remains unknown, but Naruto didn't want to withhold this information in case it has anything to do with us. More so on _attacking _us."

"Attacking us? Didn't you recently have a meeting with their clan heads?"

"Inoru-san of the Gumonosu has been refusing to meet with me the entirety of this month. Due to a lack of effort on their end and an unfortunate resistance to peace on ours, I have never personally met with the leader of the Kamizuru."

"Can the Kage not do anything about the situation?"

"The Kazekage doesn't wish to apprehend the Gumonosu based on _suspicion_, and the Tsuchikage has a larger worker strike on her hands at the moment. While she wants to divert more of Iwa's forces into investigating the matter, she believes that would cause backlash if their focus was shifted onto something trivial. Naruto will try and keep me informed if anything changes on their ends."

"I see."

"Don't mention this to anyone else, _especially_ your cousin. Shunji's finally been given permission to join major clan meetings and I know he'd start a protest. Him and Fujio, alike."

"Of course, dad."

Shibi cleared his throat. "And on that note, I greatly hope you'll be in attendance for this meeting. This will be a crucial one and may very well determine whether or not our clan readies itself for an attack, but I don't think I can very well force it if you decide not to come."

"What day is this meeting? I'll be sure to finish up my work at the Academy."

"Sunday at seven. Our clan elders are sure to be in attendance."

Sunday? That was also the day he was supposed to show Mitsumi around.

Would the two events conflict with each other?

A thought occurred to him that perhaps he ought to just reschedule with Mitsumi, but the memory of her sad and dejected ran through his mind. He had no wish to see the nice honey vendor like that. And if he backed out now, it might make him look rather unreliable.

It wasn't as though he could just _skip_ the clan meeting, though.

Before the younger Aburame could make up his mind, his father's voice snapped him from his thoughts.

"... Son? Shino, are you alright? Is there a problem with Sunday?"

Shino shook his head, a bit unsure. "No, there's no issue. Sorry dad, I was simply thinking... I'll be there."

Shibi looked out the window and sighed, admiring the glow of fireflies and the buzz of life. The older Aburame had a feeling it was going to get a bit more hectic these next couple of weeks.

"Excellent."

* * *

In the end, Shino finally came to the conclusion that he would do both. Mitsumi _did_ agree to meet on Sunday at a much earlier time. That shouldn't take more than three hours. Once he was finished with showing the honey vendor around, then he would go home and get ready-perhaps even take nap-for the meeting.

Shino sighed.

He was rarely ever indecisive. He did what was most beneficial for others and what seemed most logical for him. This bout of indecision was actually quite rare. It was just that any scenario of him cancelling between the two events had a negative conclusion.

And when Saturday evening arrived, this decision to do both was what ultimately led him to go searching for an outfit. He had been searching the Konoha department store for well over an hour, but couldn't seem to find anything. It wasn't only the fact that he couldn't find something nice, but the fact that he also wanted to dress comfortably.

'Comfortable' for Shino usually meant a large dark green sweater that looked like his regular work uniform. But for most people, that didn't equate to_ nice for a date that wasn't a date_. He was about ready to give up and wear his favorite cashmere when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Shino? Is that _you_?"

He turned to his side to see a friendly brunette waving at him. She seemed to be holding a shopping basket filled to the brim with clothes.

"Hello, Tamaki," he nodded, "It's good seeing you again."

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Shino! How are you holding up? _Especially _after that," she winced, "_double date_ we went on. I'm really sorry about that, by the way. I work with her sister, but when she said Asahi was self-absorbed, I didn't think it was going to be like _that_."

"I'm doing fine, more or less... How _was _Asahi-san? Afterwards, I mean. Kiba mentioned you walked with her."

The cat woman crossed her arms and frowned, "Oh, she still went for drinks. Didn't see how you were _obviously _upset by her horrible behavior. I mean, if she really hated her job _that _much she should just quit and find something better to do with her time."

The Aburame smiled discreetly. He thought it was sweet how Tamaki and Kiba's verbal opinion on the 'date' almost mimicked each other.

"Yes, I suppose I agree with you," he replied, "I still feel a bit bad for walking out so abruptly, though."

"Meh, she'll be fine. Anyway!" She clapped her hands excitedly, "What are you shopping for? This is the nicer clothing section, so I'm assuming it's for something… _fancy_?"

The moment Shino hesitated in his answer, stars were in Tamaki's eyes.

"Why Shino-Sensei, is this for a _date?_"

The Aburame took his time to answer. If he described the plan for Sunday morning, there was no denying that Tamaki would describe it as a date.

"... I agreed to help an acquaintance by showing them around Konoha. They're new to the area."

Tamaki almost purred, "Mmhmm… and describe this 'acquaintance' of yours, would you, Sensei?"

A flush painted the Instructor's cheeks. He wasn't used to being so openly interrogated on details of his social life.

Shino embarrassingly opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish.

"No. I don't need to describe what they look like. Why? Becau-"

"-Oh, please! You're blushing! This is _definitely_ a date, and you're _definitely_ shopping for a nice outfit to wear."

The Aburame took a deep breath.

"... If I say yes, will you help me find an outfit?"

* * *

After a good hour of searching and begrudgingly trying on several different shirts and pants, Shino finally got in line to pay for his clothing.

Tamaki checked out her items in front of him. She pouted and placed a hand on her hip, waiting for him to finish paying. "Will you _at least _tell me her name? Please? I already promised I wouldn't tell Kiba that you have a date to tomorrow!"

"I already tried telling you this isn't a date, Tamaki."

"Whatever it is! I just want to know her name!"

Shino quirked an eyebrow. "She's new to Konoha, I doubt you would know her."

"Still! I need to get a name to tell Kiba in case she breaks your heart!"

"You're more nosey than I thought, Tamaki. And _no _telling Kiba. He tends to blow things out of proportion."

"Well, _I_ could've told you that. I promise won't tell Kiba. And it's the least you could give me in exchange for helping you find a heart-throbbing outfit."

"I've already described her to you."

"Oh, I remember," she dropped her voice an octave, "'Relatively young, brownish hair, gray eyes.' That could describe a _number _of people in this village, Shino."

The Aburame sighed. Leave it to Kiba to want to marry a woman almost as insistent as he was.

"Mitsumi."

"Pardon?"

"Her name is Mitsumi," Shino repeated.

"_Mitsumi_, huh?" Tamaki echoed slowly, "Pretty! And where are you thinking of showing her?"

"Important buildings and large stores within Konoha. Most likely the Hokage's office, the Academy, department store, etc. Perhaps even a few clan districts."

"Ooh, are you gonna show her the Aburame compound?"

Shino paused for a long moment, processing his answer.

"... Maybe I should."

* * *

**Author's notes: **I'm going back to school tomorrow, so expect weekly updates instead of once every two or three days. The next part is gonna be divided up into two parts so I can shorten up the chapter lengths. I'll get a feel for my classes and try to let you guys know my schedule for updates based on that! :)

Again, thanks for reading! Please make sure to leave a review/follow/fav!


	4. Meetings of Impending Doom(Part I)

**Author's notes: **I have decided to stick with weekly updates every Thursday! This is subject to change depending on my daily schedule and work-load, but for now expect them on Thursdays. I've also decided to split the next chapter into two parts so it wouldn't be as long. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Meetings of Impending Doom(Part I)**

Shino slowly stepped out of the shower, steam filling his bathroom. He wrapped a towel around himself and used another to dry his hair. He tsked when he noticed it was getting rather long and unruly.

A few years after Hinata and Naruto got married, Shino began his work to become a teacher. With everything that had been happening at the time, he became rather lazy with the maintenance of his hair poof. He supposed one option would have been to cut most of it like Naruto had done with his, but he figured an easier option would be to tie it. When he had it down and dried, Shino looked almost exactly like his father.

_Almost._

He examined himself more carefully in the mirror.

He had never been a vain person. In fact, most Aburame rarely were. Their penchant for dressing conservatively came from the need to keep their bodies insulated to protect their insects. Shino's ancestors had always worn heavily modest clothing. It was tradition.

Shino stared at his eyes in the mirror's reflection.

They were the same color as his mother's, apparently. The pictures they had of her were all tattered and old; she would always be smiling too widely to properly see their color anyway, but his father remained adamant that Shino shared that feature with her.

Two pools of warm brown.

The Aburame remembered when he was younger. He uncharacteristically removed his glasses during dinner and began questioning his father about his mother. He wanted to know if Shibi's statement on the color of his mother's eyes was true or not. He was full of doubt that the woman he saw in the pictures was even his mom.

His father's only response had been to take off his sunglasses and show his sharp, dark green.

Shino remained quiet. That was the only time he ever saw his dad's eyes.

That night, he began to reminisce about when he met her. It was almost unbelievable. The way Shibi described their relationship was like night and day. He met Hachidori while on a mission to Rice Country. She was studying the native wildlife there and wouldn't stop talking to him, ecstatic to have met a member of the reserved and secretive Aburame clan. She always had a bright smile on her face.

A few years later, they conceived Shino. Unfortunately, she was also diagnosed with a terminal illness that impacted her autoimmune system.

Shino didn't remember her, but he knew his father visited her grave every morning and made sure to give her flowers.

Maybe he should visit her more often...

His reverie was broken by the loud beep of his clock.

Was it 9.15 already?

Quietly, the Aburame went into his room to change into his newly purchased outfit lying on the bed. Tamaki insisted he wear something a bit more open than what he was normally accustomed to. Her eyes glimmered with delight when he tried it on at the store.

He slipped into the attire and examined himself in the mirror, letting out a sigh. By Aburame standards, he could have been naked.

The sleek dark navy shirt was made of the same sweater-like material he normally wore, but the sleeves came up to his elbows and the shirt itself was more form-fitting. The pants were a lighter grey and skinnier than what he was used to. Tamaki even insisted he wear a silver watch to complete the ensemble.

He put on one of his more casual pairs of sunglasses-Tamaki also tried to convince him to not wear his glasses and let out his hair, but he put his foot down at that point.

The Aburame had to admit that the outfit was nice. Tamaki had a good fashion sense, after all. He almost couldn't recognize himself, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. The cat woman also tried to tell him that men usually wore cologne on dates, but Shino declined that immediately. His bugs were rather sensitive to strong scents.

Once he nearly tied his hair back up in its usual bun, Shino moved to put on his black dress shoes before exiting his home. He cringed inwardly when he saw a few of his neighbors sitting outside and staring at him.

Avoiding their glances, he checked his watch. The Aburame was glad he got it; he would need to be more time-conscious than usual today.

9.50. It was almost time. He walked towards Mitsumi's shop, receiving a few more stares from others than usual. He couldn't tell if it was the looks that were making him nervous or his meeting with the honey vendor.

He waited for the her outside of the shop. A few women walking on the other side of the street giggled under their breath and began whispering to each other when they saw him.

Shino rubbed at his arms, feeling exposed.

Perhaps he should have just worn one of his normal outfits. All those stares were making him uncomfortable-those women across the street were probably laughing at him. Why would he wear this if he was sure Mitsumi would have been fine with a normal attire?

Hastily making up his mind, Shino got up. If he moved quickly, he could go back to his house and change-

"Shino-san?"

-Perhaps not.

The Aburame cleared his throat, trying to not sound nervous. He turned around and faced the woman. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

Mitsumi looked so much more different out of her work attire. Rather than the usual long-sleeve with black apron combination he was used to seeing her wear, she sported a form-fitting yellow blouse and black skirt that reached her ankles. Her orange-brown hair was also out of its messy clip and free to hang around her.

It was longer than he thought, almost waist-length.

She looked _lovely_.

Despite how open he felt, he was _glad _that Tamaki interpreted this as a date. If he had dressed normally and Mitsumi hadn't, that would have been a bit embarrassing.

Shino finally snapped out of his daze and noticed the woman was staring at him.

"Ah! I'm sorry," she exclaimed with a faint on her cheeks, "I didn't mean to stare!"

"No, no," he replied, "it's alright. I also apologize for staring at you, you… you look very lovely. Mitsumi-san." The Aburame swallowed, feeling a touch hot. He hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Oh, thank-thank you! So do you!" After a few seconds, the honey vendor finally registered what she said and corrected herself, "I meant _handsome_! You look very handsome…"

"... Thank you," he replied shyly.

Mitsumi took an intake of air.

"I… I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I'm more nervous than usual. I'm not accustomed to these sort of things."

Shino looked at her curiously, not saying a word. Her heart raced nervously, words starting to spill out of her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I've offended you! I was so happy that you said yes to doing this, but I've never been out with someone as nice as you, and I'm not sure how to act, I…" she trailed off and put her face in her hands, "... I'm so _embarrassed_."

"-Mitsumi-san?"

"... Hai?" She replied, the words coming out muffled.

Shino rubbed at his forearms, "There's no need to be embarrassed and you have nothing to be sorry for. That's because I haven't… we'll I'm not the best with these things either. We talked normally the other day, correct? And you didn't seem to be as nervous. This doesn't have to be any different."

The honey vendor lifted her face to meet the man's eyes. She couldn't quite tell where he was looking, but she had a feeling it was in another direction.

"Yeah, that's…" she exhaled, "You're right. I _did _like talking with you the other day, Shino-san. It felt so natural. Maybe I'm just nervous because I actually bothered to dress differently today? I liked the outfit when I tried it on, but now that I'm wearing it out, it feels strange being this…"

"_Exposed_?" Shino finished. He looked at her hopefully, "Are you uncomfortable, too?"

The woman's eyes widened. "_Very," _she grinned, "Would you be opposed to me going back to my apartment to change?"

The Aburame exhaled in relief. "Only if it's alright if I also went back."

"Would 30 minutes be ok?"

"_Absolutely._"

* * *

Shino came back 30 minutes later dressed in a loose dark green sweater and casual black pants. The sweater was older and much more durable than his cashmere. He liked it for its comfortability-it had _pockets_-and for the faded print of a stag beetle near the heart.

Though he _did _keep the watch on.

He sighed in satisfaction as he got less stares from people this time. His neighbors seemed more pleased when he left the house with his new outfit, and the two women across the street seemed to have left already.

"Shino-san!" Mitsumi chirped, her hair loosely flowing around her as she walked towards him.

This time, she wore a baggy yellow sweatshirt that covered her arms and paired it with black leggings. He noted the design of bees splattered around the shirt and smiled.

"It seems we have similar ideas on what's comfortable," Shino commented, "You look _lovely_."

The woman's steel-gray eyes crinkled merrily as a healthy blush painted her face. "And _you_ look quite _handsome_, Shino-san. It's a shame those women staring at you from across the street aren't here to see you right now," she joked.

Shino began to walk casually towards the bustling Konoha streets. "Well I suppose that's their loss then. Are you ready to go? Tanaka-san's house isn't too far from here, maybe around 10 minutes."

"Great!" She exclaimed as she fell into stride next to him, "Maybe you could show me some interesting parts of Konoha if it's on the way?"

* * *

"Thank you so very much, Tanaka-san! This really means a lot to me that you would do this."

The older man smiled at the beaming woman. "Of course, young lady. Been meaning to find something to work on since retiring last month, actually. I could even use up some of the wooden material I wanted to get rid of."

"Oh, that would be perfect! I don't know how to thank you enough. I really _can _pay you for your services, Tanaka-san, it's no issue-"

"No, I'm quite sure I'm alright with just your wonderful honey. I've saved up enough to live comfortably in my older years, and it's always admirable to see a young lady such as yourself be so passionate about their business."

Mitsumi blushed, "Oh, thank you…"

The older man winked and turned to the Aburame sitting next to her, "Shino-Sensei over here is also my beloved Yuna's teacher at the Academy. She only has good things to say about you, Sensei."

Shino, who had been relatively quiet as he listened to the two discuss plans, set his tea cup down. "Well Yuna is an excellent student with the potential to be a strong Kunoichi. I'm still a bit surprised to find out you're her grandfather, Tanaka-san."

"Mmhm, from her mother's side. She seemed to have inherited her father's more shy nature, but that Yuna's a tough one, I'll tell you."

"I'm sure," Shino smiled. He glanced down at his watch. It was only 12.00. He had plenty of time.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Tanaka exclaimed, "I'm sure the two of you want to continue your date instead of hearing me fawn over my grandchildren all day. Mitsumi-san, I'll be sure to keep in contact with you on plans for the shop and what days it would be alright for me to stop by."

"Right! Sounds good, Tanaka-san. Thank you again," she replied cheerfully normal.

Shino froze. Either Mitsumi _did _think this was a date, or Tanaka's comment just flew over her head. He should just ignore it. Both options were perfectly adequate by him.

"You take care now!" Tanaka called as the two left his home.

"Bye, Tanaka-san!" The honey vendor turned to him, eyes shining with excitement, "So, are you ready to go?"

The Aburame shifted his attention away from the endearing woman and replied evenly as he looked at the road ahead, "Yes, I'm ready. There's a few more important places in Konoha that I wanted to show you. They're rather iconic here."

The honey vendor nodded. "Of course! I'd love to explore more of this village. Would you mind if we got lunch afterwards? I'm a bit hungry," she paused, "O-only if you want to, I mean. I'm not _that _hungry-"

"Of course," Shino answered, "Luckily there's an excellent place on the way to where I wanted to show you. Do you eat barbecue?"

* * *

"Ugh, you'd think after all this time, Shikamaru would have gotten better with his timing," the blonde woman groaned. She and the Akimichi in front of her had been waiting for their third teammate for a good half hour.

Though they no longer went on missions as Team 10, it had become a tradition for them to meet up at least once a week and eat at Yakiniku Q together. Another unspoken tradition was the Nara always arriving late.

"Aw, cut him some slack, Ino. Apparently things have gotten a bit busy around the office," Choji commented as he looked through the menu for the tenth time. The man was tempted to just order what he wanted, but he wanted to wait for his friend.

"Hey, maybe we should bring the kids with us nextime! Have it be like a generational thing to pass down. I'm sure my little Chocho would love to hear us talk about our old stories growing up."

Ino rested her head on her hand and sighed. "Those kids eat nothing but _hamburgers_. I'm sure Inojin has gotten bored of listening to me talk about how I was the prettiest, strongest, _and _smartest girl back in our Academy days, but I could force him to come anyway," she grinned.

"Sakura may contend with you there."

The chime of the bell brought the two's attention to the front. While they hoped to see their teammate, they found something a bit more interesting.

"Hey… is that Shino?"

"It probably is," Ino replied in a bored tone, "I've seen him come here a few times third-wheeling Kiba and Tamaki. He should really-"

"-I think he's _with _someone. Look, they're coming this way!"

Just as the pair passed through the aisle to find a booth, Ino stopped to greet Shino. There was a familiar glint in her eye that made Choji slightly nervous. He hoped Shikamaru would get here soon before Ino got herself into something.

"Oh, _Shino-Sensei!_" The Yamanaka exclaimed loudly, "How are you? Come over here a sec!"

The Aburame turned when he heard his name called and quickly identified the two sitting at the booth a few meters away. He quirked an eyebrow before turning towards Mitsumi.

"Those are a few childhood friends of mine," he explained, "Would you mind if I said hello?"

"Of course not, take your time!" She quickly glanced to the two at the table, "I-I'm going to use the bathroom if that's fine with you, Shino-san. I had a _lot _of tea this morning."

The Aburame smiled and gestured towards the back, "Please. Go ahead."

He slowly walked towards the two and greeted them politely.

"Hello, you two. What did you need, Ino?"

"Who was _that_, Shino-Sensei?" She gasped excitedly, "A date?"

He cleared his throat, becoming slightly stiff. "That's an… acquaintance of mine. She's new to the village and asked I show her around Konoha."

"What's her name?"

"I…"

Choji glanced at his teammate, "Ino, I don't think you should pry too much…"

"I just want to know! I don't think I've ever seen her around here before. And you certainly don't look as solemn compared to the other dates I've seen you on."

"I-that's a rather bold statement, Ino."

"It's a _true_ one."

Before the Aburame could reply, Mitsumi's voice called from a few feet away. "-Shino-san! Sorry if I interrupted, but I-I'm going to sit down at this table over here if that's ok with you-"

Ino got up to see over the booths and waved to the woman, "-Wait, come here please! We want to introduce ourselves!"

The Yamanaka grinned slyly at the Academy Instructor as the other woman made her way over. To the Aburame's chagrin, he felt his cheeks become a touch warmer.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka! It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Yamana-"

"_-Ino_'s good! No need to be so formal, right?"

The honey vendor chuckled through her nose, calming down a bit. "I suppose you're right, Ino-san. I'm Mitsumi, it's very nice to meet you too."

"And I'm Choji Akimichi," the brunette piped up, "It's nice to meet you, Mitsumi-san. Sorry _Ino _interrupted the two of you from your lunch, but-"

"-_But_ Shino-Sensei mentioned that you were new to the area and I couldn't help but introduce myself. How's it been, getting a tour with our _favorite _Academy teacher? He taught my son and Choji's daughter."

Mitsumi relaxed noticeably and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I think it's wonderful that both of your children are growing up to become Shinobi. And Shino-san has been doing a wonderful job showing me your village. Konoha is so beautiful and so much more _green_ compared to Iwa."

"So you're from Iwa, then?"

"Yes! Born and raised!"

"Why'd you decide to move here, if I may ask?"

Mitsumi idly played with her hair. "Oh, I came here to open a new honey business. Adjusting has been a bit hard and business is slow, but…" she blushed and glanced quickly at the man standing next to her, "...The support I've received has been helping a lot."

"_Honey_?" Choji gasped, "Tell me where your store is, Mitsumi-san! I'll be sure to buy tons of the stuff! You can't get good honey around here unless you get it shipped."

"O-of course! That's so nice of you, Choji-san!"

After some more idle chit chat, the Aburame and honey vendor finally left the two teammates to go order their food. They sat down at a booth a few meters away from them.

Ino and Choji were in the middle of gossiping when Shikamaru finally came. He apologized for being more tardy than usual, explaining how he had to stay a bit longer after Naruto received a message from Kurotsuchi.

"It's about _time _Shikamaru! We just talked to Shino and his new girlfriend!"

The Nara took a seat and lazily browsed through the menu. "Are you making assumptions again, Ino? How would you even know that?"

"_Please_," she laughed to herself, "did you see their outfits? They're _coordinating_. I _have _to tell Sakura."

"Man… what a drag."

Choji sighed. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Once the two sat back down at their table, they conversed idly before placing their orders. Mitsumi happily drank her iced tea, admiring the cozy environment of the restaurant.

Shino paused and cleared his throat. "I'm curious to know…"

"Hm?"

"Of all the villages you could have picked, why Konoha specifically?"

The question seemed to catch the woman off guard. "Oh! I-well, my father brought me and my brother here once when we were younger. He used to travel seasonally and sell his special honey wine; I have good memories associated with this village, so… I wanted to come back to the place I was happiest in."

"Where is your father? Does he not travel anymore?"

Mitsumi's eyes turned downcast, "I... I'm not really sure where he is."

"I'm sorry," Shino softly replied, "I shouldn't have asked."

"Oh no! It's alright! Please don't be sorry, it happened a long time ago. I used to joke that he got lost somewhere and couldn't find his way back home. I'm really ok. I still have my brother and my clan, and… my mother," She quickly continued, "But enough about me, Shino-san! What about you? What's your family like?"

The Aburame didn't miss the honey vendor's quickness you move onto the next topic, but he didn't want to pry. It was probably a sensitive issue.

He was about to answer her question when their orders finally came. Mitsumi exhaled in relief.

"Itadakimasu," they said simultaneously before digging in.

The honey vendor looked at him curiously before swallowing her food. "What were you saying? About your family?"

Shino finished the food in his mouth before replying, "I used to live with my father until I moved out a few years ago. My mother passed away when I was still a toddler, so I have no memories of her, and I had an adoptive older brother but he unfortunately passed away during the Great War."

The woman's voice became shaky, "I'm so sorry…"

"Like you said, it's alright. There's no need to be sorry. Because I have my father and my clan. And my brother is still alive in the memories we have of him."

"I'm sure he'd be very proud of you, Shino-san," Mitsumi smiled, "I know I would be. Teaching in itself isn't something a person should take lightly. Plus the fact that you're a Shinobi! I couldn't even imagine."

"Thank you, Mitsumi-san. That means a lot. And please..." The Aburame returned the smile, albeit a bit more reserved. "... Just call me _Shino_."

The woman's steel-gray eyes widened before relaxing into a fond grin.

"Then please, just call me Mitsumi! So," she continued, "Was your team close with Ino and Choji-san's? They seemed very familiar with you."

"We all graduated from the Konoha Academy together. Their team, Ino-Shika-Cho, is highly regarded in the village for their strength and compatibility."

"And yours?" Mitsumi inquired expressively, "What about your team?"

Shino cleared his throat, "Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, and I formed Team 8 under the leadership of Kurenai Asuma."

"Really? I thought Shinobi teams worked in three-man cells."

"They do. Our team specialized in locating and tracking enemies. Hinata, now the wife of our current Hokage, is a Hyuuga and possesses her clan's signature Byakugan. Our other team mate, Kiba Inuzuka, is a ninja hound user with an adept sense of smell. His ninja hound is Akamaru and was basically another member of the team."

"Oh, that's amazing! You should introduce us sometime! I'd love to hear about your team's stories together," she paused for a moment, "I mean, only if it's alright with you, Shino. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just _invited _myself."

Silently, the Aburame tilted his head and examined the woman.

Though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew he was staring at her. It made Mitsubachi nervous.

"I-is something wrong?"

He gave her a soft look. "May I ask why you always feel the need to apologize?"

"Oh, I'm… I was about to do it again," she sighed, "I don't mean to apologize so much, it's just a force of habit. I've always had to apologize for my behavior when I was growing up. Saying it has just become second nature to me and it's hard to…_not _say it."

"Behavior? You've done nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned."

The woman looked away and began to idly twiddle her thumbs.

"Well," she inhaled, "I ramble and stumble upon my words when I'm nervous, and I've always been one to easily cry. I-It gets hard for me to make up my mind on things a lot of the time, and my clan thinks I'm… naive."

Shino calmly took a sip of water.

"There's no reason you should apologize for any of those characteristics. That's because they're what make you a person. I realize that it's a rather difficult habit to break, but understand that you're doing nothing wrong in the slightest."

Mitsumi's eyes widened in shock. She was surprised to hear those words from someone, especially a person she had just met.

She swallowed.

"...Really? You don't think it's too much?"

The Aburame smiled gently. "Of course not."

When he noticed the honey vendor gazing intently at him, Shino looked away. He was glad she wasn't able to see his eyes as he fought an incoming blush.

When he looked back at the honey vendor, he almost jumped when he saw the woman with glassy eyes.

"I apologize for what I said, Mitsumi," he said, "please don't cry."

"No," she laughed, "No, don't apologize. I'm just… It's just that it's… no one's ever said anything like that to me before. Thank you."

She reached across the table and laid her hand over his.

Shino swallowed.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"This village really is so beautiful," Mitsumi commented, admiring the buzzing villagers outside of the restaurant, "I'd love to see Konoha when fall comes."

Shino walked casually through the bustling streets of Konoha, content to simply talk with the woman next to him. She seemed to become much more comfortable in his presence after their conversation in the restaurant.

"Most people tend to enjoy Konoha during the fall because of the changing color of the leaves," he answered, "Although, I still prefer this type of weather."

"Really? How come?"

"I simply enjoy the sound of nature during the summer. The soothing buzzing of cicadas and crickets. One of my favorite summertime activities is watching the fireflies come out in the evening."

Mitsumi gasped excitedly, "I _knew _you were an insect lover!"

"Oh?" The Aburame gave her a tiny smirk, "How so?"

"Well, I've had my suspicions that you liked insects when I caught you staring too long at my umbrella-"

"-I liked the print-"

"And," she giggled, "When I finally noticed that your sweater has the print of a stag beetle on it. It's cute! Are beetles your favorite?"

"I love and appreciate the beauty of all insects," he replied evenly, "... But yes. Beetles are my favorite. That's bec-"

"_Move it!" _

Shino was shoved roughly to the side as another man ran past him. The villagers on the street past them gasped as the man snuck into a crowd of people. The Aburame didn't get a proper look at the mystery man, but he did note the feminine brown handbag clenched in his hand.

"Shino, are you alright?" Mitsumi gasped, reaching out to help him. Shino took the offered hand and looked around to see who else had noticed the man. Seconds later, an older woman ran up to them, a panicked expression on her face.

"Please, sir, have you seen a man run through here with a brown bag? He followed me on my way to the bank and took it when I wasn't looking!" She cried out, "The money is for my sick husband! Can you please help me?"

Shino's eyes widened. For a moment, he wasn't sure of what to do. He glanced at the crying woman beneath his sunglasses. Next to her, Mitsumi gently rubbed her shoulders. She looked straight at him, a pleading look in her steel-gray eyes.

"_Please help her."_

The Aburame swallowed and made up his mind.

The robber may have already been too far away to track him on foot.

That left only one option.

Shino raised his arms, a swarm of his kikai coming forth. They chirped and swarmed around them. He ordered them to move in the direction the thief went. He couldn't have gotten far.

A crowd began to form around them, marveling at the scene.

Moments later, everyone gasped as a middle-aged man was carried in the air by a swarm of bugs towards them. The man was unconscious at the moment, the brown handbag held loosely in his fist. Shino reached out and returned the woman's purse.

"Oh, thank you so much, Aburame-san!" She exclaimed, "Thank you very much!"

When he assured the older woman it was no issue in the slightest, the crowd began to applaud and cheer. Shino smiled, feeling a warmth bloom in his chest. He looked about the villagers and felt a sense of pride in his abilities.

As he glanced back at his companion, he hoped to see a similar look on her face. Eyes shining with excitement and happiness, the request to have another day like this on her lips. He wanted her to be fine with the truth.

He _hoped_. He _wanted._

When he saw her, Shino Aburame felt his heart sink almost immediately.

Mitsumi remained plastered in her spot. She was pale, her eyes wide as she looked at him silently. Her arms were crossed over her body.

As if she were _protecting_ herself.

She was _afraid_.

Shino attempted to reach out to her and pulled back when he saw her flinch.

"Please…" she whispered to herself, "D-don't..."

The woman's eyes flashed in the realization of what she had said. Her hand moved to cover her mouth. She closed her eyes, trying to will her shakiness away.

When she opened them, Shino was gone.

All she wanted to do was _cry_.

* * *

Author's notes: Oof. Sorry about this one gang, but it had to happen sooner rather than latter.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Please make sure to leave a review/follow/fav! See you guys next week.


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